1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electronic component handling and test apparatus and more particularly to a new contactor assembly for facilitating the testing of electronic circuit components contained in protection packages sometimes referred to in the art as SO (small outline) devices or SODIP devices which are variations of the now standard DIP (dual in line packaged) devices.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Although integrated circuit devices have for some time now have been packaged in standardized packages generally known in the industry as DIPs, the desire for package size reduction to increase the compaction of IC devices on a terminal board has led to modifications in the configuration of the package as well as the manner in which the package is electrically connected to a carrying circuit board.
Whereas the standard DIP package has heretofore been attached to a circuit board by extending the legs into connecting apertures formed in the circuit board, attempted reductions in the sizes of both the DIP package and its electrical connecting legs have caused problems with regard to the testing of the devices before installation on a circuit board as well as problems relating to alignment and connection of the several legs of the devices with the conductors formed on the circuit board. As a consequence, alternative DIP configurations are now being devised which are configured to alleviate both the testing and mounting problems.
One such device is now referred to as the SODIP (small outline dual in-line package) device and is configured as illustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawing at 10. The SODIP devices have a smaller packaging body with connector legs 12 which are flared outwardly to form contacting feet 14 which instead of extending into holes in the circuit board 16 merely rest upon and are flow-solder or otherwise electrically connected to the printed circuit conductors 18 of the board. By using this configuration, higher density circuit board lines are also possible since contactor foot sizes as small as 0.020.times.0.020 inch spaced on 0.050 inch centers are typical. However, in order to test such newly configured devices, contactor assemblies such as are disclosed in the U.S. Pat. Nos. to Claude M. Boissicat, 3,727,757 and 4,234,418, Harold N. Hjelle et al, 3,896,935 and Frisbie et al, 4,128,174 are no longer suitable and must be adapted to engage the leads in a different manner than has heretofore been the practice.
Another problem which has resulted from a reduction of the size of the integrated circuit packages and their associated electrical connectors is that the dimensions of the plastic or ceramic packages often vary relative to the positioning of the connector legs or contact pads by tolerances too large to allow a package end or other package surface to be used as an alignment surface for positioning the package relative to contactor probes. This, of course, requires the provision of new alignment mechanisms.